The Country Support Manager (CSM) will work with LST to ensure the rapid scale-up and effective management of high-quality diagnostics for high burden diseases, focusing primarily on diagnostics for patients with HIV and TB. The CSM will work with Ministries of Health and CHAI country teams across multiple focal countries, helping to optimize policies and processes, expand access to high quality diagnostics, ensure that countries have adopted best practices in planning and implementation of testing programs, and support forecasting and procurement of essential diagnostic products. The CSM will also provide support in the quantification and mapping of funding needs against available resources, helping the government to identify funding gaps and design interventions and scale up plans in consideration of current resources.

Historically, the majority of diagnostic testing for HIV and TB has been conducted on conventional, laboratory-based technologies using sample transportation systems to expand access to testing to patients living in rural areas. However, access to these products is limited in many countries, and Ministries of Health require continued support to improve the efficiency of these technologies, expand their reach, and introduce new types of essential tests. In addition, several POC products for diagnosis, disease staging, and treatment monitoring have recently become available or are in development, with the potential to dramatically increase access to treatment, improve patient retention, and make healthcare systems more efficient. These technologies need to be integrated with existing conventional laboratory networks, with an appropriate balance between centralized and decentralized testing.

The CSM will support countries in the implementation of both conventional, laboratory-based diagnostic products and new, innovative point-of-care (POC) products that bring diagnostics out of the laboratory and closer to the patient. In particular, The CSM will support countries in adopting the recently published WHO 2013 guidelines, including the use of viral load (VL) for monitoring patients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), and developing strategies for scaling up testing programs, which include HIV diagnosis, CD4 testing, Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and other opportunistic infections. In addition, the CSM will assist countries with the evaluation, adoption and uptake of new POC diagnostic products, which can reduce the burden of undergoing testing, and improve access to essential tests, particularly in rural areas.

The CSM will also support LST in global negotiations with diagnostics manufacturers to lower prices, and with the development of new procurement strategies such as instrument rental deals to enable easier product switching. Finally, the CSM will help develop LST’s market-shaping strategy for fostering competition in the global diagnostics market. In doing so, the CSM will develop strong relationships with various teams within CHAI, as well as Ministries of Health, diagnostics manufacturers, and other external partners in beneficiary countries.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with outstanding credentials, qualitative and quantitative analytical abilities, and communication skills. The CSM must be able to function independently and flexibly and have a strong commitment to excellence. CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence, energy, work ethic and emotional intelligence.

This is a challenging but rewarding role, which will have direct and near-term impact on thousands of patients in need of life-saving health services. The role will be based in Nigeria with up to 50% travel in the region.

Responsibilities:

Serve as a key advisor to Ministries of Health, CHAI country teams, and in-country and global partners on the expansion of access to diagnostic testing, and the adoption of new diagnostic products and their integration into existing laboratory networks

Manage and coordinate diagnostics projects across multiple CHAI focal countries, with multiple work streams in each country

Act as the focal point to manage the relationship between LST and CHAI country teams, including country team leadership

Share best practices across country program to ensure knowledge is shared on the strategies, tools and experiences of all programs

Support countries in the adoption of the recently published WHO 2013 guidelines

Support countries in the development of strategic and implementation plans for HIV diagnosis in adults and children, including EID, CD4 and VL testing.

Support the adoption of current and new HIV and TB diagnostic products and their integration into existing lab networks

Assist Ministries of Health to build capacity to perform technical evaluations to drive regulatory approvals and ensure that new technologies perform accurately, conduct operational pilots to demonstrate the cost effectiveness and impact of new products on patient outcomes, and assist with analysis and writing of evaluation reports

Develop and share deployment models and strategies for how to maximize the impact of existing and new diagnostic technologies

Assist Ministries of Health in the development of testing policies and national implementation plans, and the creation of operational systems to support the wide-scale implementation of new and existing diagnostic products, such as training, quality assurance, and data management

Work with CHAI country teams, governments, and partners to identify funding for increased investment in new diagnostic products

Design and implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to measure the impact of new and existing technologies and assess progress against project goals

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare and deliver compelling presentations and work on complex analyses

A high degree of self-confidence and the ability to work effectively at all levels of an organization – with fellow team members, and senior executives from Ministries of Health and partner organizations

Strong analytical, problem solving, and quantitative skills, and a commitment to improvement and creative thinking with a capacity to critically assess prior achievements and develop stronger solutions and processes

Ability to think strategically, handle ambiguity and work in a fast-paced, limited-structure, multicultural environment

Ability to learn on the job quickly

Detail-oriented with strong organization skills

Ability to manage multiple work streams simultaneously and work independently